Where to find the growing number of gluten-free dining options in R.I.

Tuesday

May 28, 2013 at 3:40 PM

Creating a gluten-free menu is something new for chefs. But more and more are doing it.

Gail Ciampa Journal Food Editor gailciampa

Creating a gluten-free menu is something new for chefs.

But they do it for a simple reason, according to chef/owner Angie Armenise of Blackie’s Bulldog Tavern.

“There are enough people to enjoy it to make it worth my while,” she said.

Cooking for those with celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity has heightened her awareness of how many people are affected.

She understands how appreciative her customers are for chefs who create a dinner for them, from appetizer to entrée to dessert.

“We use the same effort to create those dishes just as we do for the rest of the menu,” she said.

A grilled banana split with homemade banana bread and a cinnamon-sugar pretzel brittle are two recent desserts on her menu, as are a fresh lemon-layered mousse cake with lemon curd and fresh strawberries and a s’mores cake with gluten-free crust, whipped peanut butter and Concord grape jelly whipped cream.

“We make sure that we have separate utensils and flexible cutting boards for gluten-free items,” she said. And she educates her staff on being careful about cross-contamination.

More and more restaurants, from pizzerias to fine dining spots, are doing the same.

Armenise educated herself back when she worked for the Pinelli-Marra group. Today the Marra group has continued the commitment at each of their restaurants.

At the Grille on Main in East Greenwich, executive chef Terrell Wilson has a gluten-free menu with dishes including paella.

These restaurants are among those that offer special gluten-free items or will modify dishes. It is not intended to be comprehensive, but a sampling of what is available in Rhode Island. Check out the website findmeglutenfree.com, which lists restaurants by location. It’s a smartphone app, but you can search online if you put in a ZIP code.

The Grille on Main, 50 Main Street East Greenwich, (401) 885-2200, marrarestaurantgroup.com/grille_on_main. Gluten-free menu and gluten-free to-go menu includes starters such as crispy chicken wings, pizzas and sandwiches such as tuna melts.

Legal Seafoods, 2099 Post Rd. Warwick, (401) 732-3663, legalseafoods.com. Gluten-free menu includes appetizers such as steamers and light clam chowder, and entrees such as fish and chips and baked scrod.